Women’s Cursillo Reunion — June 17, 2023, at Our Lady of Hope Church in Carle Place, NY By Angie-Lee Vazquez

There is no doubt that June is one of the busiest months in the year—what with graduations, other end of school year celebrations, parades, Father’s Day and lingering sacrament celebrations. Yet, on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at Our Lady of Hope in Carle Place, two of our very own, Theresa McHugh and Darlene McGovern, brought to life their shared vision of a Women’s Cursillo Reunion. With the help of fellow Cursillistas, Lorraine Kosinski, Laura Miraglia, Tracey O’Reilly, Darcy Romano, Dany Smith, & Angie-Lee Vazquez, they worked to bring a total of 42 Cursillistas together to spend some time in fellowship, prayer, & reflection. The busyness of the month’s festivities did not deter these women, who made their weekends over the last several years, to take the time to come together as a community of faith filled women—who not only recognized their need for God, but their need for one another.    

The room was abuzz with energy, as many of us gathered for a light breakfast with one another and spent some time catching up. As the morning progressed, we were led in prayer by Darlene McGovern. We found ourselves reflecting on the ways we need the Cursillo  community to help us renew our flames when they become just sparks, and reveling at how God is always in our midst when we come together. Following our prayer, we engaged in an activity led by Theresa McHugh that brought out our childlike natures as we raced to complete the task at hand. The activity resulted in much laughter, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of how we need one another on this spiritual journey in life. Lorraine Kosinski presented a talk on the obstacles we can     sometimes face while living our 4th Day, which led to a rich discussion = despite our very good intentions, sometimes we are faced with obstacles that do indeed lead us to stray from both God and our faith communities. But because of our community, we gratefully realized—there is always a way back.

Throughout our time together, I heard many comments reiterating the need for more time to come together like this. Statements such as, “I really needed this,”  or “We should do this more often,” or “It was so good to see everyone and connect again,” were made repeatedly—once again proving that there is nothing like our Cursillo community. The ability to come together and pick up with each   other, even after years, is a gift! Truly, it is the gift of God’s grace, found in one another. It was a beautiful morning spent together for sure. And one that    ended with the desire for more. So ladies, if you weren’t able to make this one, stay tuned! There will be more to come!